Thirst for Wisdom

“We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.” (Proverbs 16:33)

Wow! I really needed to hear this tonight. I tend to think I’ve got way more control than I actually do. I feel very compelled to make changes but I’m not sure what changes to make. I don’t want to start randomly throwing things out there, but maybe in the end, it’s more about throwing the dice than worrying about how they will fall.

Thirst for Wisdom

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.” Proverbs 18:15

This complements a passage from Daniel that I memorized as part of Beth Moore’s Daniel study – effectively God “gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”

Wisdom is God’s not ours. It is so easy to get an inflated ego thinking how smart and wise we are. Increasingly I am blessed as I consult with God throughout the day. That’s how it feels as I pray before meetings. Or during meetings. I can take a moment to say “God, what is Your will here?” in a few seconds of apparent contemplation. The more I do this, the more I feel touched by the Spirit, guided in my responses.

It’s an interesting paradox. The more I seek God’s guidance, the better the decisions I’m making, the wiser I feel/seem, the more likely I am to stray from God’s presence, the less likely to seek His guidance. Ironic? Maybe. It’s the nature of our relationship. God wants us to seek Him constantly and continuously, yet we are “wired” to wander away.

I give you thanks and praise, Almighty God. You have given me wisdom and insight. Your Spirit guides me and leads me down paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. Help me to remain obedient to Your will.

Thirst for Wisdom

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:17-18)

A little while ago I lost patience with someone at work. I was not feeling stressed or tense regarding the situation that went badly…until it went badly, of course. But I trust God’s ability to teach us in all circumstances and I was reminded that I have room to grow when it comes to seeking God’s constant companionship. I shared with you here that I wrote an apology note.

Yesterday, I had two encounters that are relevant to this story. First, I ran into a co-worker in the cafeteria and I shared with him some positive feedback I’d heard from his boss. It’s important to pass on praise and let folks know when others say good things about them – we so often only hear the negative. During the course of that conversation we touched on the topic that had “blown up” with a different co-worker. He knew the meeting with that co-worker went badly and commented that he’d heard about my written apology. He also commented that the other co-worker had indicated some reluctance to meet with me again. Awkward? Maybe. I didn’t get any context and didn’t have time to fish. My comment? “Aw! I’m not that scary!”

Later, I ran into the other co-worker. It was clear there was no tension or anxiety. We were both smiling and we had a nice follow-up chat. I believe my prayers for wisdom and guidance, prayers that led me to write a note sown in peace, were answered. The world of my employment is not a world of humility and submission but increasingly I find that humility and submission are the paths to greater reward. Should I be surprised that God knows best? Of course not.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our journeys and our final destinations and I’m reminded of the thought that prevails: “It’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey. Pay attention to the road you’re traveling and measure the steps you are taking.” I tend to drive too fast and rush to my destination. I’m challenging myself to slow down and enjoy the “getting there” instead of rushing to “be there.”

God, bless me on this journey and help me to focus on the small acts and chance encounters instead of always focusing on the goal. May I always seek Your heavenly guidance and be blessed by Your wisdom. Your blessings abound in the here and now.

Praise Your name!
Amen

Thirst for Wisdom

A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.
Proverbs 15:14

Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous…They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them…They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted. (Psalm 112:4-10)

Lately I find myself avoiding television and seeking that which satisfies my thirst for truth and righteousness. Television is like junk food, satisfying an immediate craving but rarely satisfying our inner hunger. It rarely provides lasting gratification. In seeking wisdom, and in looking for biblical guidance, I am rewarded with a spiritual meal that fills me and holds me over. My effort to read the Bible in a year often means I’m not stopping and lingering as much as I’d like, but my nourishment is steady and eternally satisfying.

Yesterday’s reading wrapped up with these passages from Psalms and Proverbs. I love the message of Psalm 112. Be generous. Be compassionate. Be righteous. (Note: “righteous” not “self-righteous” not “perfect”)

I like that in seeking satisfaction in godly things, we see that in godliness there is reward. There is strength. There is fearlessness. With God on your side, who can stand against you? You don’t have to worry about anyone or anything that rises up in your path. Put your faith in Him and let the rest slink away.

Amen.

Thirst for Wisdom

“Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.” (Proverbs 13:10)

This is so true, isn’t it? When I’m willing to be humble, I’m far more likely to “let things go.” When I’m rising up to confront challenges, to respond to things I don’t agree with, I’m being prideful. I’m saying “My way of thinking is better than your way of thinking and I’m going to prove it. Let the battle begin.”

I am trying to consciously change my way of approaching these situations at work and at home. So far, I’m already seeing that less energy is required to listen to others than to persuade them to my way of thinking.

Thirst for Wisdom

Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice! Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it. (Proverbs 8:1,6-11)

There are so many things that tempt us away from wise choices. The world today absolves us of bad decisions, offering government bailouts or corporate forgiveness. The implication is that it is okay to be foolish. I know from experience that the public schools will gladly look the other way or whitewash unacceptable behavior of students and teachers. This is not loving forgiveness but rather a practice destined to lead people to be unprepared for harsher consequences. Personal wisdom is often gained through trial and error.

I am wiser for the mistakes I have made – certainly more so if I have paid some consequence for those mistakes. It saddens me to see parents trying to protect their children from consequences. We made that mistake and have witnessed the harm we’ve done in the long run.

I recently watched Stranger than Fiction. There is a scene (spoiler coming so skip to next paragraph if you don’t want glimpse of ending) in which a young boy rides his bicycle into the street directly in front of a bus. Our hero leaps to save him, pushing the boy out of the way but sacrificing himself with the effort. There is a glimpse of the boy be reassured that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe I’m hard-hearted but I think riding your bicycle into traffic, in front of an oncoming bus no less, is “doing something wrong.”

The following morning I was enjoying breakfast in a restaurant. I was bemused by a child (maybe 3 years old) running relatively unsupervised around the buffet area. Two women, presumably mother and aunt, took turns corralling back to their seating area. The child was wildly entertained by the game. All of this might be innocuous enough, but as part of the sport the child was playing with the spoons and bowls that were kept at about his eye-level. After a while the waitstaff gave up on putting the spoons and bowls back in order. I am fairly confident that after the family left things were “put right” but probably not washed. Pity the diners who came for lunch and unwittingly had the soup.

I remember all too well the painful balance of letting my young ‘uns entertain themselves while maintain a modicum of control. The clear amusement demonstrated by the two women, their indulgence of the game, their indifference to the work created for the waitstaff all build the message for the young “Do whatever you want. You’re so cute!” At some point does that message change? Or does this boy grow into a man who has entitlement issues?

Maybe I’ve had too much time on my hands this week. For myself, I will continue my search for wisdom and I will continue my effort to share that which I have gained. Maybe shouting “Listen to me! I have important things to tell you!”

Peace,

Thirst for Wisdom

This morning (it seems like a long time ago) I wondered what I would write about today. Thursday is my day to search for wisdom. I began my search literally, using BibleGateway’s keyword search. I quickly landed on James 3. There are 2 sections: “Controlling the Tongue” and “True Wisdom Comes from God”.

The first section opens with “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”

The second section opens with “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.”

There is certainly plenty of meat for today’s meal. I decided to let these themes digest for a while and I wandered a way for a bit. My meandering on the internet, although not intentional for me, was resoundingly intentional for God. I won’t bore you with the details, but within a few mouse clicks I was reading a post entitled “Believe God Not Beth Moore.” {I’m not going to link to it, but if you’re interested, I will e-mail you the link to any of the sites I’m referencing today.} That site led me to another site (as blog-surfing tends to do) and I found myself swimming in a sea of intolerance for Beth. I was disheartened and confused. Confused in part because it turns out that today’s pursuit of wisdom involves vocabulary words. I looked up the following to make sure I was understanding what was being espoused.

apologetics: the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity.

hermeneutics: 1. the science of interpretation, esp. of the Scriptures. 2. the branch of theology that deals with the principles of Biblical exegesis.

exegesis: critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible.

ecumenical: promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world.

It turns out that there are a group of apologetics (not all of them, mind you) who take issue with Beth. With her style, with her presumptions, with…well, they have a long list. One of the apologetics sites is founded on 1 John 4:5. The entire scriptural section reads “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” {The Bold is 1 John 4:5} Their focus “is to help expose the “unfruitful deeds of darkness.” (Ephesians 5:11)”

The most prolific critic, who authors a different apologetics site, has been published in a journal that he claims is one of the best apologetics journals available. At my request, he forwarded an electronic copy of the issue with his article and pointed me to the web site where I could order copies of the other articles (for $15) critiquing Beth’s studies. The article he sent is lengthy (10 pages + 1.5 pages of references). I will take my time reading this, just as I spent time today on his blog trying to understand his concerns.

His fundamental problem with Beth Moore appears to be her claim that she is guided by God (Wait! I believe I’m guided by God). It also seems that she may not be 100% accurate (Revisit James 3:1-2. It took courage on my part to step out in faith and begin to write hermeneutics. A comment from the critic: “Poor hermeneutics is the norm for Moore as she has no sound exegesis of Scripture.” I didn’t know I was writing hermeneutics but I knew I was exposing myself to criticism.)

I personally credit Beth Moore with leading me to a much deeper and wider understanding of the Bible. My familiarity with the Book, my comfort with the Word, my thirst for understanding, my hunger for thoughtful dialogue all began with my first Bible study – “Believing God.”

My foray today, my search for wisdom, led me to an awareness that self-appointed apologetics may not fit the webster definition of apologetics. These folks didn’t seem to be drawing others to Christianity or defending Christian principles. They seem to be attacking someone who devoutly proclaims that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, to salvation. It also seems that folks who don’t see Beth as misguided, aberrational, or worse, well those folks lack discernment. So I guess I’m caught in the criticism.

And what does all of this mean to me? You can’t please everybody. The only one I aim to please is my Creator. I will continue to step out in faith and write what I believe to be true. I will allow the Spirit that is within me to guide me.

Father, may Your will be done.
Amen.

Thursday’s Thirst for Wisdom

Proverbs 1
Prologue: Purpose and Theme
“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young- let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance- for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:1-7)

If I end my years as foolish as I was at the beginning, I would consider my life a failure. If I spend my life making mistakes and learning from them, I will consider my life a success. I am not here on earth to acquire possessions or to gain social or financial status. I am here as a creature that God created, one of His blessed children, with a purpose that He has laid before me but not made clear. Yet, He shows me the way. He leads me and I follow. I so desire to please Him that my heart often aches with yearning. I thirst for wisdom so I may do what is right.

As much as I would *love* to know what He has in mind for me, such vision could blow my mind. What use am I to Him if I’m drooling and babbling in a padded room? No, I have to go the way of learning, being disciplined, becoming discerning. Listening for Him and seeking Him through all of my days.

Another way to appreciate this is to know that God is my co-pilot. If He holds the map with all of its complexities and ever-changing routes, including awareness of paths that intersect with others, He can most effectively guide my course and protect me from harm. If, instead, He slaps me with an understanding of my purpose (destiny), I may well venture off on my own, confident in my ability to get myself there independent of His presence. That is counter to His desire for closeness.

No, it is best to have company on this journey and God is an excellent traveling companion.

Go in peace to love and serve the LORD.